Maxon Foundation Fund

Harry Maxon, a Muncie industrialist, founded Maxon Corporation in 1916. For more than 80 years, the company was an international player in the heating industry headquartered in Delaware County.

Following a rich history of community-giving, the Maxon Corporation established the Maxon Foundation in 1986. Until 2009, the Maxon Foundation served as the charitable arm of the Maxon Corporation.

“Like many family-owned businesses, Maxon Corporation was very community-minded,” said Charlie Hetrick in a 2012 interview with The Community Foundation. Charlie joined Maxon Corporation in 1964 as an engineer. He continued his career with the company until retirement in 2008 as president. He continued to explain that the company not only distributed funds to local organizations through its foundation but also encouraged its employees to be actively involved in civic groups. This tradition of service, said Charlie, “was simply Maxon’s way of doing business.”

Charlie’s retirement coincided with the acquisition of Maxon Corporation by Honeywell. It was around the same time that Charlie and past Maxon Foundation chairman Bob Smitson began to explore the option of transferring the Maxon Foundation to The Community Foundation. The Community Foundation can partner with corporate and private foundations by offering a variety of fund options to meet the needs of those involved. Today, the Maxon Foundation Fund at The Community Foundation awards grants in the community. Grants from the fund generally benefit organizations and programs that support atrisk children and families.

The Community Foundation works closely with a committee of community members representing the manufacturing industry – some with close ties to the Maxon Corporation and the Maxon Foundation, including Jeff Lang, current committee chair.

“The Maxon Foundation Fund keeps the Maxon name alive in the community,” said Jeff, who moved to Muncie when he joined the team at Maxon Corporation. “For those who spent much of our careers at Maxon Corporation, community service was tradition. It’s important to see that tradition continue.”

Since its establishment at The Community Foundation, the Maxon Foundation Fund has awarded 87 grants totaling more than $650,000 - and the legacy continues. Each year, former Maxon employees and Maxon family members continue the tradition of giving. The fund continues to grow, which will allow the Maxon legacy to live on in Muncie and Delaware County forever.